Anonymous wrote:I love the quotes about Jail Kids and Yale Kids at TC Williams. I seriously doubt anyone who is thinking about her unborn child's high school will end up with her child being a Jail Kid.

And for those who are indicating that "I just don't want my kids exposed to that type of environment," that argument was used to justify red-lining, segregation, and white-flight.

Anonymous wrote:[qu
Cameron station is just a marketing name to make people pay more and not feel bad about moving to the Landmark area which is what it is.

Let's see ... I was over in that area yesterday and I am quite certain that the scores of low income, ugly, old apartments were all still standing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tucker is year round so you don't need to send your child there. BTW it's definitely not a neighborhood school, most children are bused in.

Hands down, FFx cty is the better choice for schools. I would be there is plenty of historical data to back that up too. The schools might get marginally better in 5 years in Alexandria but that's it - marginally. They are pretty bad now with the exception of one or two. MS and HS are really bad.

Cameron Station is ok but it's basically nice housing they dumped in a ghetto -y area.[i]

LOL!! Really? Boy, are you sheltered!?! When's the last time you went to the surrounding areas? I know this area well and it's far from being "ghetto-y" as this poster suggests. Folks on this board....

Imaginary children tend not to get pushed around too much.

Anonymous wrote:Tucker is year round so you don't need to send your child there. BTW it's definitely not a neighborhood school, most children are bused in.

Hands down, FFx cty is the better choice for schools. I would be there is plenty of historical data to back that up too. The schools might get marginally better in 5 years in Alexandria but that's it - marginally. They are pretty bad now with the exception of one or two. MS and HS are really bad.

Cameron Station is ok but it's basically nice housing they dumped in a ghetto -y area.[i]

Anonymous wrote:Hayfield and Edison are very comparable in terms of test scores, amount of poverty, and percentage of white kids in the school. Edison is a little more hispanic, Hayfield is a little more black. They are both diverse schools that are not overwhelmed by poor kids. I think you'll find the housing may be a little different in each area, but basically, it's a high-density housing region. Edison has IB, Hayfield has AP. I have known good kids who go to each school. These schools are schools very much in the middle of the pack for the state of Va.

TC is much less white -- only 21%. So, culturally, I would expect that to have an influence on the feel of the school -- the largest group being black. TC also has a higher percentage of poor kids (39% at TC vs. 23% at Hayfield and 30% at Edison).

The good news is that kids CAN get an education at any of the three -- the passing rate for white kids on the SOLs is nearly identical for all three. I conclude from that, that the schools ARE teaching what they are supposed to teach. But, the feel of the schools is going to be very different. Likewise, the communities may feel very different too -- and that's what you'll need to consider. What kinds of homes are available, how does it affect your communte, how run-down or cared for the neighborhoods seem, are there open spaces for kids to play, etc.

As with most high schools in Va, it's not a question of whether THE SCHOOL is good or bad, it's a question of what kinds of kids go there and what kind of environment you want for your child (what do the peers bring to the learning process (on the positive side), do the peers take away from others being able to learn (on the negative side)).

Anonymous wrote:We came from a private PK-8, but the vast majority of my daughter's friends came from GW or Hammond. Many of them are one year ahead in math -- they are on track to take calculus next year (11th grade). I haven't asked their parents specifically about their middle school experiences, but they seem to have emerged unscathed!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow- what a rude, rude comment all around!

I would tend to disagree with you that I am not more mindful of education than people who have kids in school - I'm "pretty sure," as you so nicely put it, that I think about education minimum 50 hours per week. I am not a classroom teacher, by the way, I'm an administrator (although I guess that part doesn't really matter), but what a snarky way to put that! FYI- the only reason I made a comparison in the first place was to explain my background and the fact that this may be on my mind more than others.

For what it's worth, we are not thinking about moving "really soon." If you read my post, it said that we are STARTING to think seriously about buying a home. I'm not going to move somewhere "just for kids" when I don't have kids. However, when we are actively trying to conceive, it is completely valid to start thinking about options so that we are more prepared when it comes time to actually make a move.

Oh god, OP, I really hope you aren't an "administrator" in education anywhere around here. Otherwise, I am truly worried about your understanding of our school system in this area. Your initial post indicated that you had very little knowledge of the schools not just where you live, but immediately outside (Fairfax Co.). You seemed to have no idea what City of Alexandria schools are really like and limited knowledge of Fairfax Co. schools (e.g., your little comment about whether to even bother if your kid doesn't go to McLean/Langley - any administrator worth her salt knows how stupid a comment that is).

Honestly, I suggest you educate yourself about these school systems for purposes of your job, not your move.

Ugh, no wonder people have so little regard of our education system.